Each year members of Congress and the president make budgetary decisions about how federal tax dollars and fees are distributed for land and water conservation. Conservation funds are part of the president’s budget as well as legislative priorities managed by Congress.

The bill would protect Chaco ruins and the greater landscape surrounding the Chaco Culture National Historical Park by preventing any future leasing or development of minerals owned by the federal government located within a protected radius around Chaco.

The Wilderness Society supports the legislation and thanks the senators for their leadership. The bill is also supported by Navajo Nation, All Pueblo Council of Governors (APCG), New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and Southwest Native Cultures.